Energy Resources

Alaska governor launches bid to measure oil in Arctic refuge

2013-05-20 14:46:00

For decades, war has been waged over the holy grail of America's Arctic frontier, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The wide coastal plain on the edge of the Beaufort Sea contains stunning populations of caribou, grizzly, musk oxen and other wildlife...

Hundreds oppose China refinery project in mostly peaceful protests

2013-05-16 10:24:00

BEIJING -- Surrounded and pushed back by police, hundreds of people shouted and marched again in the southern China city of Kunming to protest the construction of a petrochemical plant. It was the second time this month that demonstrators gathered in...

New hydraulic fracturing rules proposed

2013-05-17 11:46:00

Hydraulic fracturing, the process that involves shooting millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals underground to crack shale formations and unlock oil and gas, would become more difficult under new rules proposed by the Interior Department. As...

Interior Department offers new rules for 'fracking'

2013-05-16 21:13:00

WASHINGTON — The Interior Department proposed new rules to regulate hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas on federal land Thursday, drawing criticism from environmentalists that it had weakened an earlier draft to placate industry. Industry...

Feds to study oil exploration's effects on marine life

2013-05-10 12:47:00

Two federal agencies on Friday announced a major review of how seismic testing for oil and gas deposits affects marine mammals and fish in deep waters off the Gulf of Mexico. So-called seismic surveys entail blasts from air guns or other ship-borne...

Clock is ticking, slowly, on rules for coal-fired power plants

2013-05-12 20:48:00

POOLESVILLE, Md.�— On a curve of the Potomac River 37 miles northwest of Washington, the Dickerson power plant has stood sentry over small villages, crop fields and horse farms for more than half a century. Burning mostly coal and some natural...

5% rate hike OKd for Southern California Gas customers

2013-05-11 00:00:00

Almost 21 million residential customers of Southern California Gas Co. will see their monthly bills increase by about 5%, or $1.94, now that state utility regulators have approved a four-year plan to guarantee revenue collected by the nation's largest...

Africa loses benefit of billions of dollars annually, report says

2013-05-10 12:28:00

JOHANNESBURG -- Africa loses the benefit of billions of dollars each year through illegal tax evasion, money transfers and secretive business deals, more than all the money coming into the continent through aid and investment, according to a report...

Obama administration to tighten pressure on Iran, aide says

2013-05-15 16:22:00

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration said Wednesday that it would add more sanctions on Iran in an effort to dissuade Tehran from continuing its nuclear program, but stopped short of backing tough new penalties that lawmakers are considering....

What do we spend to preserve nature? $40 billion

2013-05-10 13:45:00

Some say that you can’t put a price on precious natural resources. As of this week, you can. The public and private tab for conserving the nation’s fish, wildlife and natural resources is close to $40 billion a year, according to a study...

$2.25-billion penalty recommended in San Bruno blast

2013-05-06 21:25:00

Utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric should pay a record $2.25-billion penalty for a 2010 natural gas explosion in San Bruno that killed eight people and devastated a neighborhood, regulators recommended Monday. If approved by the California Public...

Russia, Japan renew quest for elusive WWII peace treaty

2013-05-01 05:00:00

World War II lingers for Russia and Japan. Nearly 68 years after the fighting ended, the two Asian powers have yet to sign a peace treaty. That could change now that the leaders of both countries have solid nationalist credentials and could pull off...

A kayak tour of a section of Dragon Run on Friday attracted a number of state and local officials, including, from left, Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Doug Domenech, Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission Executive Director Lewie Lawrence and Virginia Department of Environmental

2013-05-02 00:00:00

People gather around a new truck the runs on compressed natural gas that was displayed at the St. Joseph County Public Library parking lot in South Bend on Monday. The city bought four of these trucks. (South Bend Tribune/SANTIAGO FLORES)

2013-04-22 00:00:00

The Natural Resources Commission could authorize a wolf harvest in Michigan as early as this fall, said Adam Bump, bear and furbearer specialist for the Department of Natural Resources.

2013-03-21 06:25:00